BLAM FAQ * Where is BLAM held? * What are the start/finish times for BLAM events? * What is BLAM? * How did BLAM start? * What do I bring? * How do I setup my computer for the BLAM network? * What sort of network does BLAM use? * Who are the admins? * How much does BLAM cost? * What do I eat/drink? * What games are played at BLAM? * Headphones suck, why can't I use speakers? * Do I need to bring a network cable? * Can I bring a digital camera or video camera? * WTF? I think you guys spelt ?Weak? wrong! * Can I run a dedicated game server? Do I have to pay for it? * What if I get a virus? * Where can I sleep? * What does LPB, fubar and RTFM mean? * How do I become a sponsor of BLAM, and what do I get out of it? * Can I download games and movies at BLAM? Where is BLAM held? Probably our most often asked, and most important question. BLAM is held at the BLAMfactory, 26 Allingham St, Golden Square. A map is provided below, click on it for a larger view. Carpark is at the rear, driveway is on the right-hand side of the shed, and the entrance is from the carpark. BLAMfactory map, click for more larger map What are the start/finish times for BLAM events? Start times for all BLAM events is 12 midday Saturday, and finish time is 12 midday Sunday. Sometimes we'll run a longer event, in which case it'll be advertised as such. What is BLAM? BLAM is a LAN party group. We run LAN parties in Bendigo (and are expanding to other areas), where people can come along, play multiplayer games, using our network, and generally have a lot of fun. Currently we can support LANs of up to 210 players, making BLAM the largest LAN party group in Central Victoria. How did BLAM start? The first BLAM event was actually the birthday party of Michael West. We crammed 19 people and computers into his house on September 25-26, 1999. At the time, we weren't planning on running regular events, but we had so much fun, we decided to start BLAM as a public LAN party event. Since then, we have run a BLAM approximately every 6-8 weeks, with our size growing from 17 people at BLAM 001, up to over 160 at our most recent event (021). Our philosophy is that everyone should be having a good time. We're not trying to make money, so we put everything we get out of BLAM straight back in, in the form of prizes, new equipment, etc. What do I bring? * A computer with a network card * A surge protected powerboard * A copy of your operating system flavour * All your device drivers CD's that you may need * Your game CD's * Headphones * Food and drinks (Food and drinks are also available at the service desk) Optional stuff to bring * Dedicated game servers (Please email cougar if you wish to run a game server) * \ Sleeping gear, like a sleeping bag, pillow and mattress (but remember, sleep is for the week * A cumfy chair (Plastic chairs can become uncomfortable after 2 days of gaming ) What NOT to bring... * Heaters, fridges, microwaves, toasters... ok you get the idea, we have limited electricity supplies, we don't want circuit breakers tripping * Speakers * Drugs or alcohol * A network cable or switch (Cables and switches are provided) To participate at BLAM you need a PC capable of running the games you want to play. You will also need a network interface card, with an RJ45 ethernet socket. Any new network card will be this type unless you specifically ask for something else (such as token-ring). At the time of writing, a reasonable PC would be something like an Intel Celeron 1Ghz+ or AMD Duron 1Ghz+ with at least 128Mb RAM. Obviously, the faster the better, but it depends on the games you want to play. Counter-strike and Unreal Tournament are still quite popular, and are happy to run on a Celeron at 400mhz. BLAM will supply one power socket and one network connection for each paying attendee. A surge protected power board is recommended, as with so many computers connected, the power does sometimes have trouble coping. BLAM does not have surge protected power boards, that is your responsibility. How do I setup my computer for the BLAM network? All network settings for BLAM are assigned automatically. You will need to have your network card installed, and the TCP/IP protocol enabled. Make sure you set IP address to "server assigned". TURN OFF ANY INTERNET CONNECTION SHARING AND/OR DHCP SERVERS. These cause problems on the network, and if nothing else will prevent you from joining the network. Turning off internet connection sharing does not mean unplugging the modem, this will NOT turn it off, you need to disable it in the control panel and set your network settings to automatic. See network setup guides for Windows 2000 and Windows XP. What sort of network does BLAM use? BLAM uses a fully switched 100mbit ethernet network. Each computer will be plugged into an 8-port switch, along with 6 other computers. This 8-port switch is then plugged into a large (currently 24-port) central switch. The use of 8-port switches means that the shared bandwidth to the central switch is shared between only 7 computers, some LANs have up to 23 computers sharing the same bandwidth. While this will generally not be noticable for gaming, if someone uses the network to copy a large file, the remaining bandwidth will be much less for each computer if there is 23 rather than 7 connected. Our DHCP (network settings) server is a K6-2 550mhz, with 256mb RAM, running Debian GNU/Linux. This also acts as the official BLAM file server and intranet (web) server on the day. You can access the website at BLAM by entering www.blam.org.au into a web browser (10.10.10.1 if that fails). Who are the admins? Admins can be identified by their unique BLAM admin shirts (to be introduced at BLAM 023), by their admin tags (from 021 onwards), or from the fact that they are sitting in the admin area behind the service desk. Please only annoy the admins currently on duty (wearing admin shirts and/or behind service desk), we like to play games too. Also, see the admin page. How much does BLAM cost? The current cost for BLAM is $20 per person/per computer. There is currently no membership available, however this may change, stay tuned for details. What do I eat/drink? BLAM sells cold drinks and confectionery for the duration of the event at the service desk. You are also free to bring any food and drinks of your own, but please don't bring glass bottles, they are dangerous if they happen to fall from a table and break. We also run barbeques and have a pizza run on the Saturday night, with large pizzas for $5 each. What games are played at BLAM? BLAM does not restrict in any way the games that are played, except that they must not be offensive, we often have children as young as 12 attending. Popular games include Counter-Strike, UT2003, BF1942 and many more... Headphones suck, why can't I use speakers? When you have 150+ gamers in a large hall, it starts go get very loud?and from experience, it only gets louder by the end :) Do I need to bring a network cable? No, BLAM provides all networking equipment, including cable to your computer. Can I bring a digital camera or video camera? Sure! Taking photos and video is encouraged. If you like you can also pass the photos and videos onto an admin and we can upload them to the BLAM photo gallery. WTF? I think you guys spelt "Weak" wrong! Actually it?s a pun. Sleep is for the week, BLAM is for the weekend?Get it? Get it? Can I run a dedicated game server? Do I have to pay for it? Yep, dedicated game servers are encouraged. You can run one yourself for no charge as long as it?s used as a server only. Email cougar if you with to bring one and we will seat it with you. What if I get a virus? If you come down with a virus after you've registered, just let us know you won't be able to make it, and we'll allow your seat to be registered by someone else. Oh, you meant computer virus? Getting a virus at a LAN is very rare. In my time LANing I have never known someone to get a virus. But just to be careful, make sure you have a virus scanner installed with the latest updates. Where can I sleep? We have a dedicated sleeping area with heaters and carpet. Please bring your own pillow, sleeping bag and a small mattress if you like. What does LPB, fubar and RTFM mean? Please see the glossary. How do I become a sponsor of BLAM, and what do I get out of it? To be a sponsor of BLAM, you have to be offering something of benefit to the BLAM community. This might be prizes for a competition in exchange for naming rights to the comp, or a donation of something that can be given to each attendee on arrival. We take sponsorship seriously, and don't allow just anyone to sponsor us. We need to be sure that what we are getting out of it is worth our while, and the product or service that you as a sponsor is promoting is something that we would be happy to recommend to others. In return, we can put up signs inside our hall, distribute advertising brochures to attendees etc. If you have something else you would like us to do for you in return for sponsorship, just ask, it may well be possible. We also welcome donations of equipment, providing it is something useful, such as network switches, computer systems to act as game servers etc. Email David Hosking if you have any queries regarding sponsorship. Can I download games and movies at BLAM? BLAM is a multiplayer gaming event, it's intention is only to allow people to participate in competitive/multiplayer gaming. However, due to the nature of LANs, it is quite possible to download files etc. over the network. Freely available shareware, freeware, demo games and files are available on the BLAM webserver, and you are encouraged to get hold of them to enhance your LAN experience. While you may also find sources of download for full-version games etc. on the BLAM network, BLAM can not be held responsible for your actions in allowing others to download such files from you, or for your actions in downloading such files from others. We want you all to have fun, but remember, it's your responsibility to ensure the legality of all software and files on your computer, and more importantly, the legality of sharing any files you may make available to others. BLAMcam BLAM factory webcam The BLAM webcam. LAN dates BLAM 021 : 21/06/2003 BLAM 022 : 19/07/2003 BLAM 023 : 16/08/2003 BLAM 024 : 20/09/2003 BLAM 025 : 18/10/2003 BLAM 026 : 15/11/2003 BLAM 027 : 13/12/2003 BLAM 028 : 07/02/2004 BLAM 029 : 20/03/2004 BLAM 030 : 24/04/2004 BLAM 031 : 29/05/2004 BLAM 032 : 03/07/2004 BLAM 033 : 08/08/2004 BLAM 034 : 25/09/2004 BLAM 035 : 30/10/2004 BLAM 036 : 04/12/2004 All dates subject to change Downloads video snippets from BDI - 5.66mb BLAM 018 movie